NEW DELHI: Dedicating 21% of outlay to ‘green initiatives’, CM Rekha Gupta Tuesday presented a Rs 1,03,700 crore budget for 2026-27, a 3.7% increase over the Rs 1 lakh crore earmarked last year. The budget placed strong emphasis on infrastructure growth with Rs 30,799.7 crore (30%) set aside for capital infrastructure and a Rs 1,500 crore push for Yamuna cleaning.Describing it as a “green budget”, Gupta said “environment is embedded in every policy, nature in every scheme and concern for future generations in every decision”. Environmental measures include Rs 504 crore for anti-smog guns, mechanical road sweepers and water sprinklers to tackle dust pollution.
“The budget outlines a vision of Viksit Delhi, Harit Delhi, focusing on education, health, transport, housing, and social welfare,” CM said.The highest single-sector allocation was for education at Rs 19,326 crore, followed by health (Rs 13,034 crore).Transport & infrastructure has been allotted Rs 12,613 crore, followed by housing & urban development (Rs 11,572 crore), social welfare (Rs 10,537 crore) and water supply & sanitation (Rs 9,000 crore).In her nearly two-hour speech, the CM announced several welfare measures, including free bicycles for Class IX girl students, laptops for meritorious students, and free diagnostic tests for newborns to enable early disease detection. She also unveiled plans for a new semiconductor policy to boost investment and job creation, e-auto licences and subsidies for 1,000 women, Rs 260 crore for free LPG cylinders during Holi and Diwali, 750 new Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, and Rs 2,000 crore under the Chief Minister Development Fund for citywide development works.Rs 1,392 crore has been allocated for upgrading PWD roads through “comprehensive redesign” to improve durability and reduce congestion. Additionally, Rs 2,500 crore has been proposed under the Centre’s SASCI scheme for urban reforms, tourism and vehicle scrapping incentives, while Rs 2,000 crore under the CM Development Fund will support local area works.Gupta said Delhi govt was committed to rolling out the ‘Mahila Samriddhi Yojana’, under which Rs 2,500 monthly assistance to women will be given, and earmarked Rs 5,110 crore for it in the budget. A registration portal will be launched soon, CM said. However, the eligibility criteria are yet to be finalised.To improve civic governance, Rs 11,266 crore has been allocated to MCD. The govt said it will convert Delhi’s entire public bus fleet to electric by 2029, and Rs 8,374 crore has been set aside for the transport sector.On the welfare front, Rs 3,500 crore has been allocated for electricity subsidies, continuing the policy of subsidised power. Another Rs 260 crore has been allotted for free LPG cylinders for ration card holders during Holi and Diwali. Free bus travel for women will continue with an allocation of Rs 450 crore, while Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for funding the Atal canteens in JJ clusters where cheap meals are available.In healthcare, Rs 1,500 crore has been allocated under the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission to expand primary healthcare facilities. Urban development includes Rs 300 crore for Trans-Yamuna Development Board and Rs 800 crore for infrastructure improvements in unauthorised colonies. CM said govt will build 1,000 modern toilet blocks across the city which will be operational round the clock.The budget allocated Rs 72,900.2 crore for revenue expenditure and Rs 30,799.7 crore for capital expenditure which suggest a push for asset creation alongside welfare spending. An official said it’s for the first time that 30% of the budget has been earmarked for capital expenditure. The capex in Delhi budgets has been below 20% in the last 10 years, the official said.Of the total, Rs 62,550 crore is earmarked for schemes and projects, while Rs 41,150 crore will cover establishment expenses.Govt said it will get Rs 74,000 crore through its own tax revenues, with GST contributing Rs 43,500 crore. Other sources included VAT (Rs 8,500 crore), stamp and registration (Rs 11,000 crore), state excise (Rs 7,200 crore), and vehicle taxes (Rs 3,800 crore). Non-tax revenue is projected at Rs 900 crore.The proposed central funding to Delhi include Rs 3,931.2 crore from centrally sponsored schemes, Rs 968 crore in grants, Rs 591 crore from the Central Road Fund, and Rs 1,500 crore under the National Mission for Clean Ganga, apart from other funds.On the capital receipts side, govt expects to raise Rs 16,700 crore through market borrowings via RBI and receive Rs 2,500 crore as an interest-free loan from the Centre. The other projected sources include Rs 380 crore for externally aided projects and Rs 487.9 crore from loan recoveries, with an opening balance of Rs 1,640 crore.The budget projected a revenue surplus of Rs 9,091.8 crore and a fiscal deficit of Rs 16,266.3 crore, which indicates balance between fiscal discipline and developmental spending.
